"I'm gonna get killed for this, but I'll tell you anyway," Jay-Z revealed. "There's a great pizza spot we go to every Sunday. It's our tradition. It's a small place in Brooklyn, you can bring your own wine, and there are candles there. It's a nice date."

"It was natural," he said, explaining that there were no positive influences, such as a doctor or lawyer, in the neighborhood. "It was normal. If anyone made it, you never knew it. They never came back to share the wisdom of how they made it."

In that dangerous environment, the future star survived a confrontation that found him being shot at three times.

"That was divine intervention. Divine intervention, and nobody knowing how to shoot," he said.

Now one of the most successful rappers and businessmen in the hip-hop community, Jay-Z said he's done his best to give back.

"That's why I've always said that if I became successful, I'd come back here, grab somebody, and show him how it can be done," he said.